A few days ago, snow dusted the southern landscape. Winter’s last blast showed up in a flurry of images on social media. Memory took me back to my time in Iowa. Yards seemed snowbound from November to March. I once stepped outside for a midnight sojourn in a still garden—and walked away with a poem.
Tag: nature
After a Long Winter, Finding the Good: “Dwarf Iris Blessing”
I remember a garden in North Carolina where a field of dwarf irises announced the turn of the season. Low to the ground, they bear a humble sovereignty—worthy of regard, as are all living things. This memory inspired the poem “Dwarf Iris Blessing.”
Why I Love Appalachia: “Blue Ridge Weather Report”
In this glorious, but all-too-brief season in Appalachia, killing frost silences the nights except for the rustle of branches. Color steals across the trees, and leaves begin to drop. I wrote this poem after relocating to the South and falling in love (again) with autumn in the Blue Ridge.
Time Falls Back: The Loss of Afternoon Gold
Autumn is my favorite season with its changing colors and nip in the air. But there’s always a tradeoff. When the clock falls back, we lose the golden hour at day’s end—the price for getting an extra hour of sleep.
Chattahoochee: Songs I Never Heard Till Now (for my mother)
I’ll be at the Decatur Book Festival, one of Atlanta’s premier literary events, October 3 and 4, signing copies of The Tears of Things: Poems (Booth 46, East Ponce de Leon Avenue). That’s why I’ve chosen to read a poem inspired by the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.